It seems like every year I make a post about one of my favorite musicals: 1776. I grew up watching it every 4th of July and this year was no different.
I also swore to myself that I wouldn't write anything about the show this year. What more was there for me to say?
A few months ago, I started getting ads on my YouTube videos (can't imagine how the algorithm learned of my love of musical theater) for a new version of 1776, one that was a little different from all other iterations. It would star a diverse cast of actors who were either, ciswomen, transgender women, or non-binary people.
I had to see it.
And this past week, my friend and I took a trip out to the Kennedy Center. My friend had never seen the play and wasn't familiar with it - though she knew the American legends behind it (we're both graduates of the American public school system after all). She enjoyed the show. I admit that I was looking forward to seeing the changes and differences that had to have been made for this iteration. While, there were some noticeable changes (the cast for example), the current play sticks very close to the original book.
Some notable changes (minus the cast) were changes to the music accompanying songs like "The Egg", "Mama Look Sharp", and "Molasses to Rum", an update to Abagail's "talk" with John in "Yours, Yours, Yours" asking for him to think of the women (which is a direct quote from one of her letters to John), the inclusion of projections especially with examples of American's right to assembly and petition in the song "The Egg", the removal of two minor characters (Leather Apron is often removed, but I was surprised by the removal of Mr. Morris from New York), Jefferson was shown with a black slave in some scenes, and a truly diabolical change to the presentation of "Molasses to Rum".
The cast was excellent and even doubled up in some roles. The person playing Abigail Adams also played Rev. Jonathan Witherspoon, while Martha Jefferson and Dr. Lyman Hall were played by the same person. I wouldn't have noticed this change because the costuming is really good at making each character distinct.
Accents also flew around the stage like migrating birds. I expected the accents from Col. McKean (the character has a very Scottish way of talking that adds charm to the character) and the southern delegates, especially Edward Rutledge and Joseph Hewes. However, the accents used by the actors playing Thomas Jefferson and Richard Henry Lee weren't expected, but were delightful. The person playing Richard Henry Lee performed a particularly good "The Lees of Old Virginia".
My favorite song "Mama Look Sharp" was presented a little more seriously from the beginning. Without Leather Apron as a character, his youthful optimism was given to McNair (who is usually played older and more jaded). The music became more soulful, rather than the original accompaniment that mimicked music on the battlefield. Additionally, members of the cast came out all dressed in black to sing the harmony verse. It was just as moving as the original and there wasn't a dry eye in the theater - my self of course included.
I also jumped about a foot in the air when they shot off a gun early in the song.
One of the best changes was to the song "Molasses to Rum". This song is incredibly important as it's part of the emotional climax. It's diabolical and doesn't shy away from the sins of America's past with slavery. If done poorly, the impact is lost - and I've seen it done poorly.
I'm not sure how to describe the musical changes, but the person playing Rutledge knew how to toe the line between Southern gentleperson and evil overlord. The black members of the cast, minus those playing Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, removed their outer costumes so they were in black pants and white shirts representing the slaves who were brought to the Americas against their will. They had a fantastically choreographed dance that punctuated the horrors. Other cast members sat at two tables boxing in the dancers, like the sides of ships, and banged on the tables while chanting parts of the song that had only originally belonged to Rutledge. The sound of whips was removed.
It was a dramatic and totally serious performance. For a play with a lot of fun jokes and reminds the audience of the humanity and fallibility of the founding fathers, this song tosses all the laughter at the window to play the horror straight.
The musical 1776 has never shied away from the issue of slavery. It's a climatic and dramatic conflict in the play that is devoid of the laughter of other issues to obtain independence presented. This version included a silent character who appeared in select scenes with Thomas Jefferson - a black slave - who disappears when the other characters arrive. The scenes highlight the hypocrisy of the founding fathers demanding their freedom, while profiting from the slavery of black Americans. I think only four of the founders - including John Adams - did not own slaves.
This subtilty is a good addition and is a great example of visual story telling.
Overall, I'm very happy with this version of the play. If you get a chance, I recommend seeing it. It's flawed, but so are it's subjects. It inspired Hamilton and teaches that America's founders are not the myths we're taught.
Until next week.
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